Falling Down
by BitterSweetTeller
Summary: In my version of the episode Threshold, Tom Paris gets trapped between timelines. Rated K Plus for some suggestive content and action. Has slight spoilers for later Season 2 episodes.


Falling Down: A Star Trek Voyager Fanfiction Story

Side note: If you haven't seen or read about the Voyager episode Threshold, please do before reading this oneshot fanfiction. It'll make more sense this way...since this is an alternate version of what happens in that episode when Tom Paris goes off into Warp 10(discounting any reptilian alien babies).

I also know that it's been late for me to finish this oneshot fanfiction, considering the several other Voyager fanfictions I've done being set past Season 2 episodes(including Threshold). But since it's taken many months to figure out how this version of Threshold would work, here it is.

In Warp 10…

The shuttle Cochrane was out of range of Voyager, and yet close in range all at once. Tom Paris saw swirls of time and space itself. He gasped, "incredible! Almost as if…" To his amazement, there were many different Voyagers of varying timelines, many differently exploding Big Bangs starting up timelines, and the list kept going. But even with the special Dilithium, Tom suddenly realized that the Cochrane's sensor lock on his own Voyager was being swirled too. And echoes of the past and future threatened to overload him.

Tom Paris sighed, "concentrate, Tom. They're all counting on yo..." Experienced at difficult piloting, he steered the shuttle back around towards his Voyager. Hints of alien physical change for Tom Paris came and went. Unfortunately, a mirror image of the Cochrane itself came charging at him at matching speed. Tom Paris was speechless, as he saw himself piloting the mirror image of the Cochrane. A bright blue explosion followed.

On the Bridge of the original Voyager…

Harry Kim reported, "I've done two full…sensor sweeps. Captain, you better take a look at this." Captain Janeway went over to his console.

Somewhat puzzled, she figured, "these readings indicate the shuttle heading into Warp Ten…three minutes after Mister Paris went int... Tuvok, scan for temporal anomalies."

Tuvok reported, "I am detecting two shuttles caught in a temporal causality loop…both with a Mister Paris onboard." Flashes of bright blue anti-matter go off on the Bridge viewscreen, flickering on and off.

With worry in his voice, Chakotay checked, "from another time?"

Tuvok revealed, "it is not that simple a situation: The sensors cannot tell which Mister Paris originated from this bridge."

Harry Kim gulped uneasily, struggling to keep his worry over his close friend in check. He did though manage to slightly increase the sensor readings on the temporal loop.

Captain Janeway checked, "Mr. Kim, how long until we can distinguish the two?" Harry Kim figured, "an hour: Maybe a half."

Chakotay added, "then let's make it count. Get on it…unless you have a better suggestion, Captain."

Captain Janeway sighed, "I'm afraid not: It's the only way to get Mister Paris back in one piece." Noticeably nervous, Harry Kim inquired, "is he going to…?" Captain Janeway deduced, "not if we can help it."

In the temporal loop's third loop…

The Cochrane was out of range of Voyager, and yet close in range all at once. Tom Paris saw swirls of time and space itself. He gasped, "incredible! Almost…" To his amazement, there were many different Voyagers, many differently developing planets, and the list kept going. But, Tom Paris suddenly realized several things.

The Cochrane's sensor lock on his own Voyager was being swirled. Echoes of the past and future threatened to overload him. And Tom Paris couldn't help but feel he had been here before. In fact, he recalled a temporal loop involving a destroyed civilization their crew accidentally caused. Tom Paris sighed, "concentrate, Tom. You're not going to let yourself be…" He steered the shuttle back around. Hints of alien physical change for Tom Paris came and went.

But realizing trying to head back wouldn't work, Tom Paris headed for the nearest version of Voyager. Unfortunately, it was a Voyager being heavily damaged by the Kazon. A bright blue explosion followed, the crossfire destroying the Cochrane. Interestingly though, just as the first Cochrane left Warp Ten, the second Cochrane appears in Warp Ten. At its controls, the second Tom Paris was very confused at his current position.

He had no knowledge of the first Tom Paris in Warp Ten, the loop broken. The aftereffects of Warp Ten didn't seem to affect him yet. The second Tom Paris sighed, "concentrate, Tom. They're all..." He tried to head back the same way the first Tom Paris did. Unfortunately, without the Warp Ten echoes, he didn't realize until too late that that would restart the temporal loop all over again.

Back on the original Tom Paris's Voyager…

At a console screen, crewmember Michael Jonas was talking lowly to Rettick, "I have thirty seconds before Security picks up this transmission. I'm sending you data of Voyager's current mission and shield modulation."

Onscreen, Rettik implied warningly, "almost sounds too easy."

Michael Jonas muttered lowly, "the Captain is doing that by herself, Rettik! Don't believe my data? Check your sensors."

Onscreen, Rettik concluded, "we'll see." The screen returned to that of a normal readout.

Fifteen or so minutes later, on the Bridge…

Captain Janeway checked, "have you got a lock?" Harry Kim added, "a thirty percent lock, but…it's fluctuating."

Chakotay guessed, "sabotage?" Slightly shaken, Captain Janeway pointed out, "possibly, but it could very well be interference from the causality loop's time displacement. Ensign Kim, inform me when it's at ninety percent or higher."

Harry Kim sighed, "yes, ma'am." In a slightly more serious tone than usual, Tuvok implied, "Captain, may I see you in your ready room?"

Getting up from her chair, Captain Janeway concluded, "all right. Chakotay, you have the Bridge." Tuvok followed her into her Ready Room. Captain Janeway realized, "you have something on your mind, Tuvok. Now, what was so important that it couldn't be said on the Bridge?"

Tuvok concluded, "Security has found external sensors to indeed be sabotaged...by reprogramming. But, I have ordered Security to not tell anyone unless it is absolutely necessary." Captain Janeway sighed heavily, "you think it's a member of the Maquis." Tuvok figured, "with no evidence of outside force and no other ulterior motive among the crew, I'm afraid it is highly likely."

Captain Janeway theorized, "except one with an ulterior motive is still out there: Seska. Once sensors are operational enough, check all systems for unauthorized transmissions: Search Voyager's systems molecule by molecule if you have to." Tuvok reasoned, "a logical conclusion."

In the temporal loop's fifth loop…

The Cochrane was out of range of Voyager, and yet close in range all at once. Tom Paris saw swirls of time and space itself. He gasped, "incredible! Al…" To his amazement, there were many different Voyagers, many differently developing planets, and the list kept going. But, Tom Paris suddenly realized how many loops he has been trapped in.

In sensor swirls and timeline echoes, Tom Paris remarked to himself, "Thomas Eugene Paris, beloved time capsule." He started steering the shuttle back around, against the time echoes of past time loops telling him not to. At the same time, he had a tricky idea. Tom Paris slightly chuckled, "I must be going nuts, but why not?" Hints of alien physical change for Tom Paris came and went. And as it did, Tom Paris activated the transporter onboard the Cochrane.

A half hour ago in normal space, on Culluh's ship…

First Maje Culluh and Seska were alone together, in a dark room with two yellow rimmed vent styled Kazon consoles. Culluh muttered lowly, "maybe I wasn't clear: I don't trust him! He's one of Janeway's people: Of female Yes Men!" Seska shot back coldly, "and me?!" Culluh figured, "you are better than that: At heart, you're Kazon."

Seska slightly laughed, "now, was that so hard?" Culluh moderately sighed, "in public, it is: For not all Kazon are as accepting as me. It'd be the end of me if they knew. But that's not the issue here: It's trusting one of Janeway's people."

Seska sighed, "we don't have to fully trust him: If it puts your Kazon worries at ease, we can use a few fighters to pierce through the shield modulation and board Voyager ourselves after enough damage is done. And if it turns out to be a trap, we won't lose much by putting the weakest Kazon in those fighters." Culluh cruelly laughed in full agreement.

Not long after the fifth temporal loop started up, back on the original Voyager's Bridge…

Four Kazon fighter ships were circling around Voyager, compensating for sensor reading interference from the Warp Ten antimatter discharges. Captain Janeway checked, "seems simple enough, but probably not for long. Tuvok, target their weapons. B'Elanna, how is the enhanced tractor beam?" B'Elanna and Tuvok both reported to be ready. Voyager's main deflector dish is fully charged with green energy. Voyager's sensors were mostly back to being fully operational.

But before Voyager could disable the Kazon fighters, they fired through the shields. The Bridge rocked. The viewscreen went black in overload. The screens on the consoles flickered dangerously in sparks, but most of the Bridge crew was quick enough to back off. The temporary helmsman though fell into unconsciousness. Holding her chair tight against the rocking, Captain Janeway shouted, "what the hell?!" Tuvok reported, "apparently, these Kazon fighters are equipped to penetrate our shields."

At the same time, in Warp Ten space…

The mirror image Cochrane came charging at the first Cochrane's matching speed. The first Tom Paris though, ready for this, beamed onboard the second Cochrane and knocked out his other self before he can react. Taking a seat at the controls, the first Tom Paris slightly sighed, "sorry other me, but it's time to make my own time." He quickly steered the mirror image Cochrane in a upward half loop, spinning it back around into the normal space around his original Voyager.

The second Tom Paris vanished from sight. The original Cochrane crashed into a recently formed third Cochrane, which followed with a bright blue explosion. In normal space, two of the Kazon fighters are destroyed from the explosion going off like a small supernova shockwave.

On Voyager…

Chakotay figured, "we can't take another round of hits! We should get out of here: Come back for Tom." Tuvok revealed, "that will not be necessary. It seems that Mister Paris has found a way out…in both cases."

Harry Kim slightly chuckles, "he's right: Tom somehow used the temporal loop against the Kazon on his way out. Two fighters are gone, and the other two are retreating." Captain Janeway added, "any other Kazon?"

Tuvok reported, "not within 2 parsecs, Captain." Harry Kim added, "Captain, Tom is hailing us."

Captain Janeway slightly sighed, "transfer the hail to my Ready Room. That's where I'll be. Ensign Kim, start making repairs to the Bridge. Commander, bring Voyager about." Harry Kim confirms her orders.

Sitting at the helm controls, Chakotay added, "understood." Captain Janeway went into her Ready Room, sitting at her computer terminal. Onscreen was Tom Paris, looking personally exhausted. Captain Janeway greeted, "welcome back, Lieutenant. How are you holding up?"

Tom Paris sighed, "just let me have a pepperoni pizza with Kavarian olives, and I'll be fit enough to return to duty."

Captain Janeway pointed out, "regardless, you'll need to go through routine medical checks in Sickbay." Tom Paris added, "yes, ma'am."

The remaining two Kazon fighters reported back to Culluh and Seska, but thought the Warp Ten related shockwave in normal space was more anomaly than artificial. As far as Culluh and Seska were concerned, it was simply that dangerous an area of subspace. And so, they still trusted their informer.

Not long after, in Sickbay…

Tom Paris was on the main medical bed, with the EMH doctor and Captain Janeway standing near. The EMH doctor reported, "other than being a little overwhelmed from having experienced ten hours over the past two hours…his life signs are normal."

Tom Paris checked, "so, how long has Voyager gone without me?" Captain Janeway slightly chuckled, "actually, if you hadn't gotten out sooner, the Kazon would've weakened Voyager enough to overtake us. What happened?"

Tom Paris sighed hard, "for a moment, I was everywhere…and yet with each cycle… I don't how else to explain it, but…I feel like a Tom Paris 2.0." The EMH doctor looked wide eyed.

He muttered to himself, "I can barely keep my Sickbay together with one Mister Paris, but two of them?! I'll never get any peace and quiet." The EMH doctor had gone into his office, his head in his hands at his office desk. Tom Paris couldn't help but laugh a bit. Knowing Captain Janeway was here too though, he slightly sighed, "sorry."

Then B'Elanna came in excitedly. She added, "Tom! We…"

Tom Paris insisted, "oh, I'll be fine. How's the shuttle?"

B'Elanna revealed, "you brought it back without a scratch. The onboard sensors confirm that you did it. You made it to Warp Ten."

Captain Janeway figured, "one for the history books. B'Elanna, can you give us a few minutes?"

B'Elanna pointed out, "actually, I'm on my way to help with repairs. Just wanted to tell Tom some good news for a change." She left Sickbay.

Tom Paris added, "I assume when the Doctor comes back, he'll want me to stay for routine tests concerning breaking the threshold. But, that isn't what this is about…is it?"

Captain Janeway sighed hard, "no: I'm just wondering if you personally need help. You've experienced ten hours worth of time loops…by yourself with a understandably slipping grasp of reality."

Tom Paris concluded, "Captain, I...! Sigh. I understand that, but I liked being alone as a kid…crying. Away from people like my father, it felt good: This whole experience may not be far off from those times." From his office, the EMH doctor can't help but glance in Tom Paris's direction in a somewhat sorry way.

A little shaken from hearing this about his past, Captain Janeway reflected, "then you may be interested to know that I'm putting you in for a commendation. Regardless of the outcome, you did make the first Transwarp flight...with gigaquads worth of sensor log data that should be useful in navigating our way home. And that's not even counting for what you just did for Voyager."

Tom Paris realized, "thank you. But somehow, it doesn't mean as much as I thought it would." Captain Janeway wondered, "how so?"

With his eyes kind of heavy, Tom Paris went on, "I guess I went into this looking for a quick fix. I thought making history would change things. Not just my service record…moderate sigh…but my reputation."

Captain Janeway comforted, "if I'm not mistaken…you've changed quite a few minds on this ship. You've earned a lot of people's respect and admiration…including my own."

Tom Paris added, "yeah...I can see that now. But, I'm also starting to realize that it's not other people's opinions I should be worried about: It's mine. It seems, Captain, that I still have a few barriers to break. I just hope they're not theoretical impossibilities." Captain Janeway slightly chuckled, "somehow, I don't think they will be. At least get some rest."

On that note, a starting to fall asleep Tom Paris assured, "I will." Captain Janeway left, letting him rest in peace on the medical bed.

**The End… Or The Start of Spin Off Fanfiction?**

**Please Feel Free To Comment On Or Continue This Storyline**


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